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TREVISO, Italy (AFP) — Britain’s Bradley Wiggins is suffering from a chest infection at the Giro d’Italia, his team Sky announced before Thursday’s Stage 12.

Wiggins, who is fourth overall, entered the three-week grand tour as one of the favorites.

“I do not feel very good right now,” Wiggins said. “I had a rather complicated 24 hours. I hope that in a few days I’ll be fine. Fortunately, in these stages, there are fewer struggles and you can hide a bit.”

One of his lieutenants in the mountains, Italian Dario Cataldo, was sick in the opening stages.

“Most of the riders on the team were sick,” Wiggins said. “These are problems that last three or four days, then it gets better.”

The winner of the Tour de France last summer, the Briton took up the challenge of this year’s Giro. But he’s struggled in the few mountains that have been featured in the race thus far, particularly on rain-slicked descents.

The next mountaintop finish is scheduled for Saturday in Bardonecchia, near the French border.

Correction: Agence France Presse initially reported that Wiggins suffered from a lung infection. His illness is a chest infection, not a lung infection.